Milford Sound Wildlife
Our night on Milford Sound was incredible. But Andy and I had no idea it was about to get better when we woke up the next morning. We quickly got dressed, packed up our things, and went upstairs for breakfast. That’s when the staff started making announcements about wildlife, specifically seals and dolphins. With the excitement of little kids, we shoveled down our food and bolted outside with our cameras.
Seals
First we sailed by a group of seals hanging out on some rocks. They were sunning themselves and waddling around and making cute noises. Here is some video, sorry it’s a little unsteady.
Dolphins
Throughout our journey back, we saw many dolphins swimming next to our ship. I kept trying to take pictures but the dolphins were just too quick when they did jump out of the water. However, I did get some decent video of them swimming near some canoes.
Saying our good-byes
After the excitement of the wildlife, our time on Milford Sound was coming to an end. We enjoyed our last views of the landscape, squeezed in a few last pictures, gathered our belongings.
The drive back
Eventually we boarded the bus to return back to Queenstown. A few people who rode with us the first day had chosen other options to leave the second day, so we had an even smaller group on the bus. Our driver, Justin, told us more about Fiordland National Park and stopped so we could take more pictures along the way. Milford Sound was definitely one of the highlights of our New Zealand trip.
Andy and I received a discount from Real Journeys, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 8, 2012 @ 10:56 AM
Gorgeous! Love the videos too- and traveling for animals or animal encounters are my favorite way to travel.
March 8, 2012 @ 10:58 AM
Thanks Jade! I love seeing animals you don’t normally encounter in day-to-day life.
March 8, 2012 @ 9:14 PM
Wow. Seals and Dolphins. You know I did not know they existed in New Zealand. Definitely an huge added plus to visit some day!
March 8, 2012 @ 9:25 PM
It definitely was an awesome added bonus!
March 10, 2012 @ 2:56 AM
This sounds like such a cool experience!! Love the seals!!
March 10, 2012 @ 3:59 PM
Thanks, it really was so much fun!
March 11, 2012 @ 1:30 AM
I did an overnight trip on Milford Sound as well and absolutely loved it. I don’t think we saw any seals but we definitely saw lots of dolphins. It’s really such a magical place to visit, and I really don’t think I could ever get tired of that view!
March 11, 2012 @ 8:36 PM
It definitely was gorgeous! I’m so glad we did the overnight trip.
May 21, 2012 @ 8:56 PM
Great photos and videos of your trip! It must have been cool to see the dolphins swim next to your ship. Milford Sound definitely sounds like a perfect place to go to when in New Zealand.
May 21, 2012 @ 9:09 PM
Thanks Mary! It was great, the dolphins were awesome. Milford Sound was probably the highlight of my time in New Zealand.